It is widely known that most personal computers are provided with a BIOS, and the BIOS initializes different types of connected devices on a computer boot-up and establishes different types of settings for them, while providing an OS and an application with a program interface (API) for a relatively easy access to system hardware.
For example, a startup screen of a BIOS on a motherboard is shown, and displays the recognition result of an installed CPU, memory capacity, and a recognition result of all connected IDE hard disks upon the start-up of a PC/AT compatible machine. When a NIC (Network Interface Card) and a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) card are connected, BIOSs installed on these cards initiate and the results for them are shown. When the process of BIOS ends, the OS is read in from a hard disk, a floppy drive, or a CD-ROM drive to start.
When a specific key (such as DEL key) is pressed while the startup screen of BIOS is present, the display switches to a BIOS setting menu screen, and different types of settings are available. There is a setting item for hard disk drives connected with an IDE interface, as one of the setting items on the BIOS setting menu screen. This setting item is provided for setting whether a hard disk drive is connected, respectively, with a master primary IDE, a slave primary IDE, a master secondary IDE, and/or a slave secondary IDE.
While it usually takes about one to five seconds for the recognition process for a hard disk drive connected to the IDE interface, if the BIOS is set such that a hard disk drive is connected, while a hard disk drive is not actually connected, it takes about 20 seconds for the BIOS to detect that the hard disk drive is not connected. Thus, it is effective to set the setting item related to the hard disk drive is set such that a hard disk drive is not connected, thus eliminating this wait time.
A server without a removable storage device, such as a CD-ROM drive, floppy disk drive, a video output, or a keyboard has recently been proposed for system management through a network, from a client PC on a network, such as a LAN or the Internet. The base of this server is still often a general PC/AT compatible machine.
It is impossible to show a BIOS setting screen and to change the setting, as described above, on this server that does not include a display or a keyboard. As a result, it is impossible to set it such that a hard disk drive is not connected, and thus, there is a problem wherein the wait time caused by the recognition process for the hard disk drive is present. Because a user potentially adds a hard disk, it is necessary to always monitor the existence of a hard disk on the IDE interface.